Tech-savvy Bengaluru Police only have sticks to control crowds

The city's tech-smart men in uniform may be good with gadgets but buckle under pressure when it comes to managing crowds.With no concrete plan in hand, they lack crowd control tactics when mobs go berserk as was witnessed during the garment workers' strike and more recently, the New Year Eve's revelry .

The fact that crowds congregate on the MG Road and the surrounding arterial roads is nothing new to Bengaluru and the police are well aware of it.

However, no action plan was in place to control this mob of 50,000-odd revellers, resulting in the ensuing mayhem and molestation of women.

Ashish Varma, a professor at IISc, who has conducted a survey on crowd management for kumbh mela, said that it is not difficult for the police to calculate the capacity of Bengaluru's main roads. This can be done by measuring its width and length.

The police could have created a plan by noting down the number of people who enter the street and could have diverted the excess crowd, he said.

The excess crowd could have been accommodated at the nearby Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground. The grounds would have given them ample space to channel the stream of people in a more organised manner, he said.

Managing a crowd of 50,000 with a troop of 1,000 policemen may sound difficult but not impossible, he said.This can be done only through proper planning and strategising. Lastminute tactics will not save, he said.

Police could have also segregated the crowd into different categories like women, families, single men and groups of men and allow them to celebrate in different places and not allow men on the streets where girls and families were celebrating on the New Year's Eve, he said.

Former DG&IGP Shankar M Bidari said that apart from the lack of crowd management, the state government has made two mistakes ­­ it extended the deadline from 1 am to 2 am on New Year's eve and transferred the commissioner and additional commissioners, including jurisdictional DCP .

At present, except lathi-charge there is no other crowd management system in the police department.New city police commissioner Praveen Sood was unavailable for comment, even after repeated calls and messages to comment on the issue.

Police had taken some precautionary measures two years ago when they introduced CCTV cameras, put up sand bunkers and engaged mounted police on MG Road and Brigade Road following an IED blast on Church Street.

How was it Done Elsewhere

New York

During the New Year's Eve celebration, New York police deployed 65 sand trucks around Times Square. All vehicles were placed at strategic locations. The NYPD deployed more than 7,000 officers who were sporting heavy weapons.

Explosive detecting canines were also deployed at Times Square and through the subway system.There was also a critical response command and strategic response groups were deployed to manage the crowd, this year.

Berlin

In Berlin, 9,600 extra police officers were deployed.Police were given machine guns and there was patrolling all over the city. They had cordon off the Brandensberg Gate where more than a million people gather to celebrate New Year.

Rome

In the Italian capital, vehicles were barred around the Circus Maximus and along bridges over the Tiber river and barriers were placed. Rome police launched a social network campaign to share with authorities if any strange or alarming situations arise.

Paris

Police had deployed 10,300 police, military and fire personnel for New Year's Paris Eve. Around 230 private agents were hired. They had cancelled the fireworks launch from the Eiffel Tower.